Home fires can cause devastating losses that are extremely costly to repair or replace. While your home insurance policy can help offset these costs, no one wants to go through the hassle of dealing with the aftermath of a fire. Let’s take a look at the most common sources of home fires and what you can do to prevent them from occurring.

1. Kitchen fires: The number one source of home fires comes from cooking food on the stove. The nature of frying makes grease fires a risk. To prevent this, never leave pots and pans unattended, smother a grease fire with a lid rather than dousing it with water, turn pan handles toward the wall to prevent accidental tipping and keeping flammables (like towels and wooden spoons) away from the stove.
   
   
2. Electrical fires: Faulty wiring or overloaded circuits can cause an electrical fire in your home, which can ruin expensive electronics and appliances in its wake. To prevent this, avoid overloading outlets, use the right cord for the job, never use a light bulb that exceeds wattage limits and have your electrical system inspected annually.
   
   
3. Dryer fires: The appliance most likely to cause a fire is your dryer. To prevent this, clean the lint screen after each cycle, clean out the vent hose annually and keep the area free of flammables.
   
   
4. Candle fires: Nearly 30 candle fires occur every day around the country. Though the aroma and warm glow is pleasing, always be cautious when an open flame burns in your home. To prevent candle fires, keep candles at least 3 feet away from flammables (like curtains or furniture), never leave a room while a candle burns, keep candles in a sturdy holder to prevent tipping and blow out candles before going to sleep.

Ensure that your home is equipped with plenty of smoke detectors and that the batteries are replaced as needed. It’s also handy to keep a fire extinguisher around just in case.

Even with precaution, accidents still happen. Call (703) 730-1515 for more information on Woodbridge home insurance.